


That Time (Always Happens at the Worst Time)

by GardenofCrystals



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Arthropods, Awkward, Bodypositivity, Bright Moon, F/F, Fluff, Fractures, Friendship is Magic, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, PerfumaisTrans, Perfumaisayogateacher, SCORPIALOVESHUGS, Scorfuma, Scorpia and Perfuma start having feelings, Scorpia doesn't like moulting, Scorpia is a cinnamon roll, Scorpia'ssoothingtea, Trans!Perfuma, TransPerfuma, Transwomengetperiods, Weird body stuff, Yoga, body anatomy stuff, fawkward, moulting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:21:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23744476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GardenofCrystals/pseuds/GardenofCrystals
Summary: "This is it, this is how I die.  Death by moulting in Bright Moon," Scorpia thought to herself.Takes place during “Fractures.”  Scorpia is at Bright Moon, trying to get the Rebellion to save Entrapta.  She would have loved to muscle her way into the rescue mission, but THAT TIME always happens at the worst time.  This is the most awkward thing I’ve ever written and I will not apologize.  I took a situation and made it 1000% more awkward.  Also Scorfuma.  You’re welcome.
Relationships: Frosta & Perfuma & Scorpia (She-Ra), Frosta & Scorpia, Perfuma & Scorpia (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 174





	1. Chapter 1

Scorpia knew her moult was coming, but it had been pushed to the back of her mind because of all the Hordak/portal/Catra/She-Ra drama. Next thing she knew, she was at Bright Moon, asking for help to bring Entrapta back from Beast Island.

She had felt the usual symptoms for a few weeks: odd, pica-esque cravings, decreased appetite, dulled chitin, and the beginnings of fatigue. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do much about it due to the larger, more imminent threats at hand. 

Now, here she was at Bright Moon, bound by Perfuma’s vines and being held “prisoner” – if you could even call it that. She was held in one of the most lavish rooms she’d ever seen, and Perfuma just brought food (if you could call vegetables “food”). Frosta was “keeping guard” over her. Scorpia figured she could easily escape if she wanted – her claws weren’t entirely bound, and she knew she could easily cut those vines if she wanted to – but she wanted to stay on the Rebellion’s good side.

She had just been spending time talking and bonding with Frosta, and still could not believe how wrong the Horde was about the princesses. In less than a day, she’d bonded closer to Frosta than she ever dreamed possible – even after Scorpia ruined the Princess Prom. Frosta even made freakin’ ice pincers! 

“Wow, what a way to break the ice,” Scorpia said, nodding to Frosta meaningfully. Frosta nodded and smiled, appreciating the pun. “So, you have vegetables and other food that doesn’t come in bar shapes. The food at Princess Prom was really good, I’ve been dying to know what that one dip was…not that I’d ever be able to make it, but what the heck was in that?”

Frosta held her chin thoughtfully. “The only dip I can think of was that crab dip…yeah, that must have been it.”

Scorpia felt like she’d been punched in the gut. “Wait, what?” On the one hand, her people were only very distantly related to crabs, given that they were both arthropods. On the other hand (or claw, as it were,) she couldn’t help getting mortified at the visualization of big, meaty crab claws getting cracked open, and the contents going into the crab dip.

“You know, crab dip,” Frosta continued, unknowingly, “you take crab meat and mix it with some herbs and sauces, and boom! Crab dip,” she said proudly. “The Kingdom of Snows is well known for our fishing and seafood industry,” she went on, arms proudly folded across her chest.

Scorpia gave an awkward chuckle in response. “That’s great, good for you guys,” she offered weakly.

_Oh my god, I’m a total monster…I can’t believe I ate that. Even worse, that I liked it._ She shifted uncomfortably. And at that moment, she felt her tail shift under her bonds, and felt old, dead chitin separate from the rest of her tail. It was only on one of the segments of her tail, but it was official. Her moulting cycle started. She’d never been in a situation where she was totally bound like this when this happened, and it was incredibly uncomfortable. And itchy. She cringed. _Great. This is a great time for this to happen, I so don’t have time for this!_

Frosta looked on with concern. “Aw man, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize about the crab dip.” To be honest, the crab dip was the last thing on Scorpia’s mind at this moment. Sure, she was still pretty disgusted by it, but she had more important worries that had come to the forefront of her mind. 

_I knew it was coming…I knew it was coming and I just didn’t pay attention to the signs because there were more important things to do…Gonopores, what the fuck am I supposed to do now?! I gotta get out of these bonds and find somewhere quiet to lie low and get this over with…yeah good luck with that, deep across enemy lines, you Goddamn dumb scorpion!_

“…Are you ok?” asked Frosta.

She didn’t even know what to say. She needed time to think and process. Plus, she could already feel herself getting tired and foggy brained. It only made sense that what energy she had would be going into creating new chitin instead of supporting her cognitive functions. 

“I just need some space to think, that’s all,” she said.

“Well, I am supposed to be guarding you, so no chance of that. Don’t think that just because we can bond like this means I’m about to get sloppy and let you escape,” she waved her ice spear menacingly.

“Ok, ok,” Scorpia tried to deescalate the situation. “I just want to take a nap,” she said, eyeing the mountain of pillows on top of the large cushion. She wasn’t entirely lying either.

“That’s fine,” Frosta said, nodding in approval. Scorpia slowly positioned herself on the cushion under the pillows, trying not to exacerbate her shedding worse than it already was. Try as she might, she felt more chitin peel off from another tail segment, and shuddered. She knew she needed to act fast – the new chitin would need to air out and breathe in order to reharden. However, it was nice to feel hidden in the pillows.

_This is it, this is how I die. Death by moulting in Bright Moon. This is the most pathetic way to go out, I figured I'd fall in combat instead..._

_Ok Scorpia, you got this. You are brave, strong, loyal, and you give great hugs. You can get through this._

She weighed her options. She considered being honest with Frosta and ask for help. _Man, that would be too embarrassing, plus they’re finally starting to accept me as one of their own, and this would only confirm their suspicions that I’m totally gross and don’t actually fit in here._ On the other hand, she could probably escape if she really wanted to, but that would put her in an even worse position overall.

She felt her fatigue drift her off to sleep, but she fought it. She needed to act fast. And between her two options, she knew she would need to be honest. _This is my chance to be a good friend. And friends are honest with each other. I’ve been bonding well with Frosta so far._ But she knew Frosta was so young, too young, and maybe wasn’t old enough to handle the situation delicately. She racked her brain for the best princess that could help. _Mermista?_ Nah, she was too sarcastic, and could be almost mean sometimes, and Scorpia was feeling especially sensitive right now. 

While Scorpia was lost in thought, Perfuma walked in with more pillows and blankets.

“Sorry it took me so long, but I found some blankets too!” she said cheerfully as she walked in. She saw Scorpia tucked uncomfortably on the cushion, and intuitively knew something was wrong.

“…are you ok?” she asked.

Scorpia looked up at her blankly from between the pillows. Her claws were itchy and she could feel them starting to peel too.

_Aw man, this is such a mess…and she’s so pretty too. Shit, fuck, this is so awkward._

“Um…” she started, voice higher than she intended. “Not really. Um…Perfuma… I need help with something,” she said as quietly as she could.

Frosta looked on from a distance and glowered at her. Scorpia looked uneasily from one princess to the next, still in the mountain of pillows, unsure how to say this in the most delicate way possible.

“Shit, fuck,” she cursed to herself. “Ok. I totally get that I’m a prisoner. And by all means, do keep me restrained, I don’t want to make anyone feel unsafe. But…um…”

“But what?” asked Perfuma softly. 

Scorpia bit the bullet. “I’m moulting! There, I said it. And I am so sorry, this is not something I can plan ahead for, it’s just that I’ve been so busy what with the Horde and She-Ra and everything, plus we gotta save Entrapta, and there’s just not enough time to plan ahead for everything. And these vines are really getting in the way of that,” she rambled.

“Oh,” Perfuma started, “That’s definitely not what I expected.”

Frosta just looked confused. “Wait, what? I have no idea what that means, but it definitely sounds like a plot to remove those vines!” She raised her ice spear menacingly.

“Wait!” Perfuma said, putting a hand out towards Frosta. Perfuma seemed to take a minute to think. “Tell you what. How about if I just reposition those vines instead?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s a good idea,” agreed Scorpia, cringing as she felt more loose chitin peel away as she shifted to sit on top of the cushion, pillows falling to the floor.

Perfuma used magic to take some of the old vines and bound them to her knees and feet. When she removed some of the vines, Scorpia’s tail popped out of the constraints with a cracking sound as more dead chitin sloughed away. She grimaced at the feeling. Perfuma and Frosta stood back, out of striking range, in case this was actually a plot. Perfuma eyed her tail cautiously, hoping to not get stung yet again today. Scorpia gingerly wrapped her tail across her lap, in front of her claws, which were still bound. She surveyed the damage.

“Oh wow, that is nasty,” said Frosta, with equal amounts of interest and curiosity. Scorpia grimaced and brought her shedding tail protectively closer to her. 

“I’m sorry, I really can’t help it,” she said, averting their gaze. “This isn’t something I can plan.”

“Oh, don’t listen to her, silly! You’re like a tree! Shedding dead leaves in the fall to make room for fresh spring leaves!” Perfuma chipperly added.

Scorpia wasn’t expecting that, but at least Perfuma wasn't grossed out. “Oh, um, ok, thanks, I guess?” Now, another awkward question posed itself. “So…the claws too,” she said gingerly.

Perfuma looked like she was about to hit herself in the head. “Duh, of course, how did I not think of that?” She vanished the last of the vines with a flick of her hand. Scorpia looked at that damage too, and it was worse than she thought. “Wow, not good,” she said to herself. She could feel that most of the right claw had already separated. The left one was itchy underneath. 

“Wow…where do we even begin?” asked Perfuma.

“Wait…we?” Scorpia asked incredulously. _Even after all this, they still want to help me? I’m just so used to doing this alone in the Horde…_

“Yes! We can help, right Frosta?”

“Yeah”, Frosta added, still curiously looking at her claws and tail. By now, Frosta totally forgot to be worried about a potential plot, she just wanted to start peeling.

Scorpia started tearing up. She was no stranger to crying in public, but this was different, because the subject matter was just so intimately personal. “You guys…you still want to help?”

“Yeah! Like you said before, you want to learn how to be a good friend, and you were honest with us by telling us what’s going on! So we’re happy to help!” Perfuma chipperly replied.

Scorpia broke down in tears for the second time today. “Even with me like this…you still want to help?”

“Of course we do,” said Frosta. “Now, gimme that big ol’ tail so I can start peeling…if it’s ok with you.”

“No, really guys, you’ve done enough, all I needed was my bonds cut so I could moult in peace, I can do it on my own. I’ve done it plenty of times before.”

“Honestly…I’m more curious than anything,” said Frosta. “Will you let us help anyway? It can’t be easy with those claws half-moulted,”

“Um…ok, I guess…but…um…” she looked up and scratched the back of her neck with her claw.

“…what is it?” asked Perfuma.

“So, it needs to start at the base of the tail, and to do that, I’m gonna need to take off my pants. So, is there a bathroom or something where I can go ahead and do that?”

Perfuma’s cheeks reddened a little. “Yeah, here, let me take you there,” she said, using magic to remove the rest of the vines so Scorpia could walk. Frosta was dumbfounded and didn’t protest as Perfuma and Scorpia left for the bathroom.

Once Scorpia was in the bathroom, Perfuma waited outside to give her privacy. Scorpia didn’t hesitate to take off her pants, and then underwear, and sat on the edge of the bathtub. She peered behind her to survey the damage.

The same kind of thin chitin that covered her upper arms stretched from her waist and out towards her hips before connecting with the base of her tail. It was visibly flaking off in spots and was just _itchy_. 

Scorpia had no time to lose. She took a deep breath, reached back with a claw, and started peeling, revealing soft, pale chitin underneath. She kept working until she cleared her lower back, and started working on the first tail segment. Once she cleared that, she heard a knock at the door, and jumped at the sound. Moulting always tended to make her a little extra jumpy.

“How’s it going in there?” she heard Perfuma ask.

“Pretty good,” Scorpia squeaked out.

“Ok good, because Frosta is getting impatient. She’s starting to think this is a ruse again, and that you’re secretly trying to contact the Horde in there.”

_Seriously? How is that even possible?_

Scorpia sighed in annoyance. _Well, at least the base is clear, I could go back out and finish the tail with them._

However, she knew she would need to let this new chitin air out, which meant she couldn’t put her pants or undergarments back on for a while. Ideally, she’d live in a climate like the Crimson Waste, where the dry heat would allow it to dry and harden quickly. Unfortunately, she was in Bright Moon, where it was… _humid_. It was going to take a bit longer to dry.

This meant that she would need a towel, or a blanket, or something, to wrap around her in the meantime so she could go back out and keep Frosta calm enough so that she wouldn’t call for the guards and bring _more_ people into an already embarrassing situation. 

_Again. Just be honest and tell her._

Scorpia got up and went to the door, opening it just enough to poke her head out to see Perfuma.

“Ok, good news/bad news time,” Scorpia started, “the good news is that I got the base done. The bad news is that, um…I can’t exactly put my pants back on until it dries,” she finished, with redness growing on her face. “So, can you get me a towel or something so I can go back out and put Frosta at ease?” 

“Oh, ok,” said Perfuma, processing this new information, herself growing a little red in the face too. “I’ll get one of those blankets I just brought!” She left and came back with a throw-blanket pretty quickly, handing it to Scorpia. Scorpia took the blanket, closed the door, and sighed at her situation as she tied the blanket around her waist. She surveyed herself in the mirror. _I look utterly ridiculous_ , she mused, seeing her Horde shirt coupled with the pink, flowery blanket tied around her waist. Her tail was poking out the bottom, with dead chitin flaking away. She threw the dead chitin she was able to peel off in the trash, took her pants and underwear in one claw, held the blanket secure around her waist with the other claw, and went back out to see Perfuma waiting near the door.

Scorpia was almost expecting Perfuma to ridicule her, or make fun of her, for this horrifically embarrassing situation, but Perfuma only looked at her with acceptance in her eyes. Scorpia wasn’t really used to that yet, but it was nice. They went back to the “prison room” and found Frosta. Frosta didn’t really flinch or seem to care that Scorpia wasn’t wearing pants, but she did seem to appraise Scorpia to see if she was trying to further some kind of Horde-related plot.

Scorpia sat back down on the large cushion, with the blanket tucked safely around her waist, and her tail poking out. Once Frosta saw the loose chitin around the tail, she brightened a little, hoping to help peel it off.

“Ok guys, I desperately just want to get this over with,” said Scorpia, already starting on the second tail segment near the base. Perfuma reached out to help, touching the underside. The moment she touched it, Scorpia flinched and gasped.

“Sorry, just, let me do this one? It’s just that, um…it’s pretty sensitive right there,” she said, face nearly the same color as her shirt. Also, it was occurring to her that Perfuma was _really pretty_ , and that was not helping matters.

“Ok,” Perfuma responded, not totally sure what Scorpia meant by that, but trusting her anyway.

Once Scorpia got that segment done, she allowed Perfuma and Frosta to work on the rest of the tail.

“Just don’t touch the stinger, ok? I don’t want you getting hurt. Let me take care of that part.” She took a deep breath before giving her tail to the princesses, steeling herself in preparation of others touching her tail. She didn’t really like her tail being touched, but the princesses were being truly helpful, so she allowed it.

The princesses worked on her tail while Scorpia took off her shoulder pauldrons to start on her shoulders. Perfuma and Frosta looked on in shock. "Whoa, I really thought that was part of your exoskeleton!" said Frosta in surprise.

"Nah, the pauldrons just protect these soft spikes underneath. These spikes don't really do much, and they're just kinda delicate." 

Frosta reached out and touched one gently, causing a giggle from Scorpia. "Hey, that's kinda ticklish!" Frosta was about to tickle her a bit more, when Perfuma cleared her throat. Frosta jumped with a start and remembered herself.

"Sorry," she chuckled, and went back to helping Perfuma with the tail, while Scorpia worked on her shoulders and upper arms. Scorpia felt when they got near the end, and looked behind her to see how the princesses did. _Turns out, having actual hands with fingers is incredibly helpful in situations like this_ , Scorpia mused as she watched the princesses' nimble fingers at work. The princesses peeled off the last part before the telson.

"Ok, let me handle the end," she said, pulling her tail in front of her. She put the tip of her stinger gingerly between her teeth, felt for the small gap between old and new chitin, and _pulled_. It came off with a small *pop*.

Frosta and Perfuma looked on in horror. "Doesn't that hurt? That looks like you could really hurt yourself," asked Perfuma.

"Only a little, but I've done it enough times that I'm used to it. I can't exactly use my claws right now, so I gotta get creative. One time when I was a kid, I accidentally stung myself on the tongue doing this. The good news was that I didn’t sting myself _too_ bad, so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, but it left my mouth numb for the rest of the day. It felt like when you go to the dentist and they numb your mouth, and you can barely talk or eat for a while.” _Why the hell did I just share that story??_

Frosta and Perfuma looked on in shock, unsure what part of that story to respond to first.

“…you have dentists in the Horde?” asked Frosta. 

“Yeah! The Horde may be a lot of things, but we are not lax when it comes to good medical care.” She paused and looked down. “I mean, not we, but they, I guess, since I can’t really call myself part of the Horde anymore,” she added timidly. She shook her head. “But hey, the tail’s done now! Nice work, and I gotta admit, having you guys help really sped this up!” She tucked her tail behind her and looked at her claws, which was the last part to shed. 

They had nicks and cuts on them from an assortment of battles. Scorpia remembered how her claws held up nicely even against the mighty sword of She-Ra. “One good thing about moulting is that I get fresh, new claws! No damage yet,” she shared. The claws came off easily, since the chitin was thick enough to come off in one piece. 

Once it was all said and done, Scorpia just needed to relax and let her new chitin harden. Frosta paraded around with the moulted pincers on her hands, pretending to be Scorpia, much to the amusement of Scorpia and Perfuma. Meanwhile, as Scorpia relaxed on the large cushion, Perfuma snuggled in close, wrapping an arm around Scorpia’s midsection, head resting on a bicep.

“Woah, hi there,” Scorpia said. She couldn’t help but smile at this…this _Goddess_ snuggled up to her. She was painfully aware that she still hadn’t put her pants back on, but at least the blanket was still secure. The chitin had mostly hardened by now, but she was just so comfortable that she didn’t want to get up just yet.

“Is this ok? I’m sorry, I’ve been told that my people and I tend to be more openly affectionate than is the norm, and after today, you seemed like you could use a hug,” Perfuma said, smiling up at her.

Scorpia didn’t even realize how starved she was for affection while living with the Horde until now. She was always the one giving hugs, not receiving them. “This is more than ok. I think I could get used to this,” she mused, smiling at her and pulling her a little closer. _What started as a horrifically embarrassing situation turned out to be really damn fine in the end_ , she considered, admiring this gorgeous princess snuggled close to her. She felt her heart grow a few sizes more, if it were possible. She still couldn’t believe that she finally started making real bonds with people, princesses even, who accepted her completely and fully. She was lost in warmth and comfort as she drifted off to sleep with Perfuma in her arms.


	2. Horde Habits Die Hard/Cycles are Better Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t originally going to make this more than a oneshot, but this entire year made me gayer, and this happened. I’ve been dabbling with a second chapter since May, and now here we are. It's far from perfect, but I'd rather get it done than perfect. 
> 
> In which more Scorpia awkwardness ensues, they do yoga, TransPerfuma's menstrual cycle starts (and yes we absolutely talk about different types of cycles in this fic), they drink Scorpia's Special Soothing Tea, and they enjoy some Scorfuma bonding.
> 
> TW for nudity, and for mention of periods. It's fluff though, so hopefully it's not too bad.

Perfuma awoke to a poking on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and rolled her head towards it, squinting with sleepy eyes. It was Frosta, standing over her.

“It’s pretty late, and I’m tired. Not that it’s past my bedtime, because you know, I don’t _have_ a bedtime. Do you mind keeping the rest of this watch so I can go to bed? Not like she really needs a guard anyway,” Frosta gestured towards Scorpia, who was still sleeping on the other side of Perfuma. 

Perfuma had to take a moment to remember what Frosta was talking about, since her memories from yesterday had yet to catch up with her. She turned to where Frosta was pointing, and saw Scorpia, blissfully asleep beside her. Perfuma reddened a little at the fact that she was still using Scorpia’s bicep as a pillow.

“Yeah, Frosta, I got this,” she said, trying to keep her composure.

Frosta stretched and yawned. “Thanks, good night,” she mumbled as she headed out of the guest room and towards her own chambers.

Perfuma watched her leave, and turned back towards Scorpia. _She looks so peaceful and adorable_ , she thought, noting that Scorpia seemed to give a faint smile in her sleep. Her face looked almost angelic. Scorpia shifted in her sleep, rolling from her back to her side, facing Perfuma, and closing the gap between them. Perfuma breathed in her sweet, intoxicating scent. _Come on Perfuma, get it together._ She scooted back a bit, now using Scorpia’s claw as a pillow instead of her bicep, when she noticed it. 

Apparently, when Scorpia shifted, so did the blanket, and Scorpia hadn’t put her pants back on…or anything else, for that matter.

Perfuma didn’t mean to look, but once she saw it she couldn’t unsee it. And it looked so… _soft_. The softest, purest, curly white hair she’d ever seen. Anyone else would not have believed that the Scorpion princess had anything about her that was this soft. Perfuma wanted to touch it, and pet it, but her sense of decency prevailed. She looked back up at her face instead, looking at the white hair on top of her head. Desperately looking for a distraction, she delicately stroked where the long hair on top of her head met with her undercut. _And it was so soft_. She was lost in thought when she felt a SLAM just above her head, and Perfuma jumped. She looked above her to see a large, red stinger in the pillow just inches above her head.

Scorpia’s eyes shot open, cold and hard. These were the eyes Perfuma was used to seeing on the battlefield, the eyes of a hardened Force Captain. Perfuma’s eyes widened in shock. 

Scorpia jumped back to the ground, claws and tail raised, standing in a defensive position. The pillow was now stuck to her stinger, and the blanket forgotten on the cushion. Perfuma looked on in shock, and couldn’t _not_ look back down at that soft white hair, blushing furiously before turning her head to look at literally anything else. 

Scorpia had a confused look on her face and followed Perfuma’s eyes downward. The events of yesterday slowly clicked into place, and then she saw the blanket that was left on the cushion. She gasped and lunged for the blanket, covering herself, face as red as her exoskeleton. There was a tense moment before anyone spoke.

“I. am. So sorry that you saw that, and for everything from the past 30 seconds,” Scorpia muttered, eyes wide in horrific embarrassment. She was standing at the edge of the large cushion, clutching the blanket and keeping it in line with her hips. She scooted back onto the cushion and sat in a comfortable kneeling position next to Perfuma, blanket firmly locked in place. Her claws were clutching the blanket so hard she feared she might rip it.

“No! I’m sorry. I should have known better than to wake you,” Perfuma said. “Want me to get that?” she said, gesturing to the pillow still stuck to her tail, which was still raised defensively.

Scorpia looked confused for a moment before registering what she was talking about, eyes following Perfuma’s when she looked at her tail. Her eyes widened even more when she saw the pillow. “I almost stung you…again,” she stammered. “And I am so sorry,” she said. She gave a sigh and secured the blanket on her lap so she could hold her head in her claws. “It’s just, Horde habits die hard. Most Horde soldiers sleep with a knife, or a weapon under their pillow, but I never needed to do that,” she said, looking at the pillow impaled on her stinger. 

Perfuma took an opportunity to break the tension. “It’s ok. May I?” she asked, slowly reaching forward towards her tail. Scorpia nodded her consent and held her breath, shifting her tail so Perfuma could reach it. She was not entirely sure of what was happening, but also not daring to move except where Perfuma was slowly guiding her tail. Perfuma held the base of the telson in one hand, and the pillow in the other, and gently guided it off. 

Scorpia usually protested when people touched her tail, but in this case, she allowed it. _Especially after yesterday_ , she thought. Perfuma’s touch was so gentle and sweet, she found herself relaxing already, and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Thanks,” she said, relaxing her tail behind her. 

“You’re gonna be ok. We’re gonna be ok,” Perfuma said, surveying the pillow. It was punctured through the middle and there was wet, clear venom on one side. 

“I’m just impressed you’re not scared. Most people are, after seeing something like that,” said Scorpia, waving a claw at the pillow. 

“What? Of course not. You have such a sweet soul inside,” she said.

Scorpia looked at her, stunned, and felt her heart melt a little bit. She felt seen, truly seen, as much more than just muscle and hard exoskeleton. _I swear she is just the most tender Goddess._ “You are so sweet, I don’t even know what to do with you,” she said. Her eyes widened. “I mean, not that I want to do anything to you, I mean with you, I mean, ho boy, am I digging myself deep here,” she stammered, red in the face. 

Perfuma had inched herself closer. “It’s ok. Hugs?” she asked, opening her arms.

Well, Scorpia would never refuse a hug that was offered to her, just on principle. She hugged back, and the two flopped back down amongst the pillows, snuggling. Scorpia squeezed Perfuma close to her chest, and nuzzled the top of her head.

“I never want this hug to end,” she said, smiling into Perfuma’s hair, breathing in her floral scent. She suddenly got nervous, realizing the precarious situation they were in. “What are we doing, anyway?” she asked, fear evident in her voice, and re-securing her blanket.

“Nothing you don’t want to. And the past few days have been quite eventful for you. We can just keep snuggling, just like this, if you want.”

Scorpia let out a contented sigh. “Sounds like heaven,” she mumbled. Part of her wanted to stay awake and soak in the snuggly feelings as long as possible, and maybe even put her pants back on, but exhaustion set in, and Scorpia fell fast asleep quickly.

Perfuma looked back up at her sleeping face, brushed a wisp of white hair away from her face, and went right back to sleep as well.

* * *

Scorpia slept deeply, and had pleasant dreams of sleeping next to a beautiful Goddess who smelled like flowers. She heard the first morning birds chirping outside, beckoning her to wake up, but she wanted to stay in her dream as long as possible. It took her a moment to register what the sound was, since Horde life didn’t acquaint her with the sounds of wildlife. She kept her eyes closed and fought her instinct to wake up, to no avail. And then she realized it wasn’t a dream.

The brightest moon was just starting to rise outside, and the residual light started to filter into the room. Colors, and not just shapes, were starting to become more visible to Scorpia. Like the pinkness of the flowers in Perfuma’s hair. She nuzzled into the top of Perfuma’s hair and breathed in the fresh, pure scent. _I could get used to this._

She lay awake for a short while, taking in the moment as much as possible, until she felt the need to get up and stretch to test out her new chitin. She slowly and gently untangled herself from Perfuma, desperately trying to avoid waking her. Right when Scorpia feared she would wake up, Perfuma simply gave a sleepy sigh and snuggled back into the pillows. Scorpia’s heart clenched at how adorable she was, with her messy, blonde hair draping over the pillows.

Scorpia finally tore her eyes away to look for her pants and underwear. She’d somehow managed to keep her blanket in place this time. She found them, rolled into a ball next to the cushion. She gave a tentative glance back at Perfuma to make sure she was still sleeping. _Well, it’s not like she hasn’t already seen it…_

Still, her sense of decency prevailed. She wrapped her blanket around her waist and put on her underwear and pants on underneath the blanket, and looked back at Perfuma. Perfuma was still sleeping, but Scorpia could see small goosebumps on her arms. Now that Scorpia no longer needed the blanket, she gently draped it over Perfuma and tucked her in.

Then, Scorpia started to stretch and test her new chitin. After curling and uncurling her tail, and stretching it every which way, she smiled. It appeared her tail got a little longer, and her first thought was that it would increase her stinging range. She frowned. That was her old Horde mindset talking, which taught her that she was nothing more than a weapon. And what if it was someone who she cared about who was in range? She cringed at the memory of nearly stinging Perfuma just a few hours ago. Overall, it was too much to think about. Still, she couldn’t complain that the new chitin seemed to be in good shape. She still hadn’t put her shoulder pauldrons back on after last night, and she stretched out her arms and shoulders. Something gave a loud “pop” in one of her shoulders, and Scorpia let out a light moan. She stretched her pincers towards the ceiling, making herself as tall as she could.

For her part, Perfuma woke to the sound of a “pop” and then a moan. She flushed at the sound. _Perfuma, get a hold of yourself._ She opened her eyes to see Scorpia stretching a few feet away from the cushion with her back towards Perfuma. She registered that Scorpia had put her pants back on, and then she realized that she’d been tucked in with the blanket that Scorpia had been using. _She tucked me in???_ Her mind screamed in a gay panic. She took a deep breath and sat up.

Scorpia heard her shifting and turned to her while still stretching her arms and shoulders. “Good morning sleepyhead!” she said sweetly. Perfuma barely registered that Scorpia was talking to her, because _holy shit those biceps_.

Perfuma cleared her throat and composed herself. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”

“Surprisingly good! Usually, I feel like I’ve been hit by a tank right after a moult, but it’s not so bad today! Probably because…well…probably from snuggling with you all night,” she said quietly.

Perfuma smiled and got up. When she stood up, she noticed that she felt extra slow today, both physically and mentally, but she pushed that thought to the side for the moment. “I enjoyed snuggling too,” she said, with a red tinge on her cheeks. Desperate for a change of subject, she nearly shouted. “I see you’re stretching! Do you like yoga? We could do yoga together, and besides, yoga is part of my morning ritual.”

“Oh. Um. Well, I’m not really sure what yoga is, I’m just testing out the new chitin and making sure everything works. But sure! I can do yoga with you, as long as you show me, because I don’t know anything about it,” Scorpia rambled. 

Something about the way Scorpia would ramble like this was just made Perfuma’s heart melt into a puddle of goo. Perfuma recomposed herself and stood up, positioning herself so that she was standing next to Scorpia. 

“Maybe a basic Sun Salutation to start the day?” Perfuma offered.

“Sure! I’ll go with it. Anything to help me stretch this new exoskeleton.”

“All right! First, stand just like this, with feet shoulder-width apart. Put your, um, claws like this,” she started, transitioning into her yoga-teacher mode, but faltering slightly over trying to figure out how to accommodate the poses for a new yoga student who had pincers instead of hands. 

Perfuma put her palms together in front of her chest with her fingertips pointed towards the ceiling. Scorpia mimicked her as best as she could, and straightened her shoulders. “Oh,” Scorpia started. “I think I like this already. Feels kinda…balancing? I think? Ok, I’ll stop now. Being quiet now,” she rambled. Perfuma gave a slight smile at Scorpia’s rambling, and at the newfound confidence she had to teach a student who would require special accommodations for yoga.

“Ok, stretch your arms up and point towards the sky!” Perfuma continued, and Scorpia followed. Perfuma did her best not to stare too much because _oh my goodness she is so hot._

“Ok, next is forward fold. Bend at the hips, and reach for your toes. Um…I usually tell students to put their tail bone up, but in your case, do what feels natural,” she said tentatively while completing the steps.

Scorpia gave Perfuma a quizzical look. “Humans have tailbones? Huh. That’s kinda neat.” She followed suit, and after she was bent forward, her claws easily touched the floor between her feet. She let her head drop, easing the muscles in her neck. She stretched her tail up, letting it curl over her back with the end dangling gently behind her head, nearly hitting the floor. She stretched a little further and felt a “pop” where the base of her spine turned into her tail, and gave a low moan. 

“You ok?” Perfuma’s voice was a little higher than she intended.

“Mmm. Yeah. That released some pressure. Can I hang like this for a minute?”

“Yes, absolutely,” said Perfuma, staying in the position with her and desperately trying not to think about what Scorpia must look like from behind at the moment.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. “Come in!” called Perfuma, still staying in the position along with Scorpia.

It was Juliet, the Captain of the Royal Guard. “Good morning,” she started in her most official voice. “Just checking in on the prisoner…what are you doing?”

“Oh, you know, just yoga,” Perfuma started, slowly straightening up and settling her palms back together in front of her chest, with her fingers pointed upwards. Scorpia followed suit, stretching slowly back to a standing position similar to Perfuma.

“Good morning,” Scorpia offered, gingerly remembering that she was, in fact, a prisoner.

“Right,” Juliet said slowly. “Good morning.” And then something caught Juliet’s eye. 

“W-what?” asked Scorpia.

Juliet leaned towards Scorpia and put her hand on her chin in thought. “Something seems different about you…I can’t quite tell what it is…like maybe you got bigger? Shinier? I can’t tell,” she mused.

“Ah, well,” Scorpia sputtered, desperately trying to minimize the number of people who knew about her situation from the previous night, “You know, the Rebellion’s been taking really good care of me, you know? Like Perfuma here, she gave me _vegetables_ yesterday, and lemme tell ya, it’s _quite a change_ from those Horde ration bars!” she laughed awkwardly, glancing sideways at Perfuma and desperately hoping that she’d catch on.

Perfuma gave an awkward laugh of her own, despite knowing that Scorpia, did not, in fact, eat her vegetables. “Haha, right! Definitely the vegetables! You know how I’m always trying to get people to eat their greens!”

Juliet gave them both a quizzical look. She didn’t quite look like she bought it, but she still let it slide. “Ok, that’s fine. Just be careful, ok? Perfuma, remember, she’s still a prisoner, and a Force Captain to boot. Don’t make me regret leaving you in charge,” she warned. “I’d stay and guard her myself, but Double Trouble has been quite a handful. Don’t hesitate to call for the guards if anything happens, Princess Perfuma.”

Perfuma gave an awkward smile. “Right, thank you, Captain Juliet.”

Juliet gave a bow before she left. “Good day, Princess Perfuma and Force Captain Scorpia.”

The door closed behind Juliet, and Perfuma and Scorpia both let out a breath of air.

“Whew…here I was getting so relaxed, I almost forgot I was a prisoner,” Scorpia started, sitting back on the cushion. 

“I know…it almost feels like we’ve known each other for so much longer than just a day,” Perfuma sighed, sitting next to Scorpia. Suddenly, Perfuma tensed and placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

“Are-are you ok? What’s wrong?” asked Scorpia.

Perfuma blushed and looked away. “Um…cramps.” 

“Oh. OH,” Scorpia realized, growing red in the face. “Do you need anything? I think I have some, um, _supplies_ in my backpack-“

“No, thank you, but that’s not necessary,” Perfuma said, putting a hand over one of her pincers. 

“Ah. Did you just get it this morning?”

Perfuma nodded. “I – I think so? It’s kinda hard to tell with me,” she said quietly, looking away.

“I don’t – I don’t think I understand?” Scorpia offered gently. “But…um…if there’s anything I can do, especially after the way you helped me last night, you know, just let me know.”

 _Maybe hold me tight and snuggle me all day?_ Perfuma wished it, but didn’t dare say it aloud.

“Maybe just…hug me?” she asked. She figured that was the most reasonable thing to ask for, and she knew Scorpia loved giving hugs.

Scorpia beamed. “You came to the right person for hugs!” She got up and moved to stand next to Perfuma, extending her claws. Perfuma stood up and allowed Scorpia to gently bring her into a hug. 

“Just, um…don’t hug me too hard, ok? My boobs are really sore,” she said. 

Scorpia made sure her hug was loose, but still tender. “I know the feeling,” she said.

“Thank you,” Perfuma replied, feeling like she was turning into putty. After a moment, they finally sat back down.

“Um…I don’t mean to pry, but…don’t you need to go to the bathroom? I mean…I know I’m a prisoner, but I don’t want to keep you from, y’know, the call of nature.”

Perfuma sighed and flopped back on the cushion, curling up on her side and hugging a pillow to her stomach. “It’s…don’t worry about it.”

Scorpia looked down at her with confusion written across her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly.

“What is it?” asked Perfuma. “You looked like you were about to say something.”

“Well…just…if you don’t need to use the bathroom, it just got me wondering…do you…free bleed?” she asked awkwardly, ending the sentence with a whisper.

Perfuma laughed so hard she had to sit up. Scorpia joined in and laughed along, though not quite sure of what was so funny.

Once the laughter died down, Perfuma wiped a tear from her eye. “No, Scorpia, I don’t free bleed. I’m – I was assigned male at birth. I don’t have a uterus, so I don’t actually bleed, but the hormones I take cause all of the other symptoms: moodiness, cramps, bloating, exhaustion, among other things.” She looked up at Scorpia, praying that she would understand.

“Oh. OH,” Scorpia started. “Ok, now I understand. That’s normal. I mean, you’re still you, and besides, I’m pretty sure you’re more of a princess than I’ll ever be, seeing as you’re actually connected to a runestone. What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Scorpia asked gently, seeing tears pricking at the corners of Perfuma’s eyes, and yet, Perfuma was smiling.

“You know,” Perfuma started, wiping her eyes, “I think you’re way more accepting of this than most of the Plumerians. It took them quite a while to come around.”

“Really? That sounds odd. Hey, maybe it’s because we’re both princesses who are built different? Because I absolutely know what it’s like to face fear and rejection from others because of how I’m built.”

“Huh, wow,” said Perfuma, still wiping tears from her eyes. Happy tears? Overwhelmed tears? Straight-up hormonal tears? She wasn’t sure. The tears were probably from all of the above. “Maybe…maybe we can be different together?” Perfuma asked.

“Wow, that’s – wow,” Scorpia mused. “Yeah, I’d really like that. That would be super nice. I’ll tell you what. You might not need the…um… _supplies_ I brought, but I did bring some of my famous soothing tea. Maybe that could help,” she offered. “After yesterday, it’s the least I could do.”

Perfuma perked up at the mention of tea. “Yeah, that sounds amazing! I’ll ask one of the guards to bring boiling water, so that I don’t have to leave.” She got up and poked her head out the door, spoke with a guard for a moment, and came back to sit with Scorpia again. “They should be back in a few minutes. In the meantime, tell me about this tea!”

Scorpia beamed. No one had ever asked her about her family’s tea. Scorpia reached for her backpack and looked inside for the canister. She found her exoskeleton polish first, which she pulled out anyway, knowing she’d need to buff her new chitin. After digging near the bottom of her backpack, she found the tea. She pulled it out and gave it to Perfuma, who opened the lid and took in a deep breath.

“Mmm,” Perfuma started. “Smells earthy and rich, and more savory than sweet. I bet it’s amazing,” she said, already visibly relaxing.

Scorpia’s smile broadened. “It’s an old family recipe. I don’t have much from the old Royal Scorpion family, but I do have this. The ingredients should be written on the label.”

Perfuma looked the label to find it handwritten (or pincer-written?) in black ink, in a delicate, flowy font. It looked very old.

“Do you know who wrote this?”

“No, but I suspect it was one of my moms.” She suddenly remembered that she’d left the photo of her moms on her nightstand back in the Fright Zone, and mentally kicked herself for it.

“Do you know what happened to your moms? That is – if it’s ok to ask?” said Perfuma.

Scorpia stilled and looked down at her claws. “L - Hordak told me the princesses killed them during the first Princess Alliance. Though, the more I think about it, things don’t exactly add up. I don’t really know what to believe anymore. See,” she started, looking back up at Perfuma, “I didn’t leave the Horde only for Entrapta. I mean, that was the main reason, and I also wanted to learn how to be a good friend, but…I spent time with Emily back in Horror Hall, my old family palace, and…it just got me thinking. Things didn’t exactly work out for my kingdom. And I think my family would be appalled to know that Shadow Weaver has been in control of the Black Garnet this whole time. I need answers, and I don’t think I’m gonna get them from the Horde.” She sighed. “But anyway…that’s a whole big, scary, can of worms that I’m not really ready to open yet. Maybe we can just enjoy the tea for now?” she asked, looking towards the door and desperately praying for the water to arrive.

She was lucky, because one of the guards strode through with a tea tray, and set it on a nearby table.

“Ooh, how fancy!” Scorpia grinned at the tea set. It was beautifully crafted, but it also looked fragile. She hoped she wouldn’t break anything. 

“Here, want me to brew it?” asked Perfuma.

“Yeah. The cap of the tea canister has a measuring line on it, so you can measure out enough for two cups,” she explained. 

Perfuma saw it quickly. She measured the correct amount and put it in the tea filter, which then went into the teapot.

They switched the topic of discussion to the ingredients in the tea. “You know, I don’t even know where half of these ingredients are grown,” Scorpia said. “I know that every time I wanted to make more of this blend, I had to fill out a special acquisition form to have the herbs imported, and it always took forever.”

Perfuma stilled, looking at the ingredients. She gave an awkward smile. “A lot of these ingredients came from the Horde-occupied border of Plumeria,” she said softly.

“Oh,” Scorpia started, awkwardly running a claw over the back of her neck. “I should have known. I’m – I’m sorry.”

“I know. We’ve been fighting on opposite sides for so long, there’s bound to be stuff like this that comes up. But friends work through these things together, ok?” offered Perfuma.

“Friends?” Scorpia asked, feeling her heart grow a little bigger.

“Yeah. You seem like you’d make a really good friend,” added Perfuma, smiling.

Scorpia gave a dopey smile and stared down at her claws. She swore she could just float up and away. _No one’s ever been this kind to me before._

By that time, the tea had finished brewing, and Perfuma poured it into the cups. “Do you take any sugar or honey?”

“Oh, wow, we have that here? Wow! Yes, honey please!” she nearly squealed. “It’s just…you know, stuff like that was kinda hard to get in the Horde, haha,” she trailed off. “Ok, changing the subject now,” she laughed awkwardly.

Perfuma smiled and prepared the tea, and moved the table so that it was in front of their shared cushion. Scorpia gently took one of the fragile cups with both claws and was able to take a sip. “Ahhh,” she sighed. “Tea is so much better in good company. I used to just drink it by myself. Entrapta only ever liked fizzy drinks, so she didn’t want it, and Catra, well… she just kinda downed it too quickly to even taste it, and then threw the cup at my feet. She’s – she’s going through a lot. I hope she’s gonna be ok,” she drifted. “Aw man, I did it again, switching the topic to sad Horde stuff.”

Perfuma held her cup with one hand, and put the other hand on her pincer. “It’s ok. These are things that mean a lot to you, and you’ve been through a lot. I don’t think I could have survived half the things you did,” she said.

“Wow,” Scorpia said, taken aback. “You listen to me. It’s just – wow,” she said, taking another sip of her tea. “Friends listen to each other. It’s so nice,” she smiled into her teacup.

Perfuma sipped the tea, and let out a contented sigh. The heat settled right into her stomach and seemed to warm her whole body. “Mmm. I think the tea is easing my cramps already,” she offered. “I see where it gets the name ‘Soothing Tea’,” she smiled. 

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, sipping tea and enjoying each other’s company. After a while, Perfuma noticed another bottle on the cushion.

“Hey, I see you pulled out your exoskeleton polish, did you need any help with that?” she offered.

“Ah – no thanks, I can do it,” she said. “It’s always a good idea to put on a fresh coat after a moult. Actually, do you mind if I start now, before I forget?” she asked, reaching a claw towards the bottle. 

“Girl, not at all, as long as you don’t mind me cramping, bloating, and crying for no apparent reason,” joked Perfuma.

Scorpia giggled. “Gosh, do I know that feeling. I’m probably gonna go through what you’re going through soon, and you know what? It is so much better to go through these things with a friend. It just makes it so much better. Man, let me tell you, I’m so happy my cycle didn’t align with my moult, that would have been an absolute nightmare. It’s only happened once, when I was like 15, and Octavia found me slumped in the communal showers and wishing for sweet death,” she said brightly. It was one of those things that was a disaster at the time, but she could joke about it now. 

“Oh…my goodness. I hope nothing like that happens again, and besides, I’m here now. Maybe I can help,” Perfuma offered.

“I don’t think it’s likely to happen again. I moulted a lot as a teenager, but it’s tapered off a lot now that I’m grown up. Now, it’s only like once a year, sometimes longer.”

Scorpia unscrewed the cap of the bottle and applied the clear substance on her claws. There was a small loofah attached to the inside of the cap that she used to scrub and buff her claws, making the red color a bit brighter and shinier.

“Oh wow,” Perfuma started, leaning forward and looking at her claws, “They’re so pretty!”

Scorpia reddened a little. “Wow, thanks! First time anyone’s ever called them pretty. I like it,” she said with a slight smile.

They continued chatting, drinking tea, snuggling, and enjoying each other’s company well into the day. _So this is friendship_ , Scorpia mused. _I could get used to this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the yoga scene is not “accurate.” I haven’t done yoga in years and my memory is hazy, so everything you see came from a quick Google search.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So, I’ve read too many Scorpia/moulting fics and this is where my brain went. Is it kind of out of character? Yeah, probably. Is my mind doing weird shit because of quarantine? Yes, definitely.
> 
> The idea that Scorpia wears shoulder pauldrons because the spikes underneath are delicate originally came from: “Wrong Idea” by graeskies: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18194036
> 
> The idea that Scorpia’s tail is…um… “sensitive” came from here, and this is now 1000% canon in my book: “A Scorpion Among Roses” by JajaLala: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16710175/chapters/39191839#workskin
> 
> I’m hoping I’m crediting these correctly, if not, please let me know! I’d like to support these cool authors and do right by them any way I can!


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